Originally Posted by
Judd
Funny that aircraft carrier pilots are not crashing all over the world during thousands of catapulted takeoffs and wave-offs (go arounds) every year. After all, you can not imagine a more severe acceleration in these aircraft.
One thing noticeable in many accident reports involving a go-around accident at night or in IMC, is that authors of these reports are quick to use somatogravic illusions as contributing factors when they know there is no way of proving these were positively identified as present. A get-out-of-jail free, card
What many investigators fail to realise, if the truth be known, is that the majority of these accidents are simply caused by poor instrument flying skills on the part of the pilot - not necessarily by the little hairs in your ear canals.
Investigators at loss to explain the cause of an accident, can simply blame the spectre of somatogravic illusions, as if that explains everything. Their report can now be signed off because no one can prove otherwise..
Someone with more knowledge please correct me, but I remember seeing videos of carrier take offs where the pilots are trained to keep full aft stick because the catapult gives such a strong nose up illusion.